


The Metal Maze

by PastelNekomata



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Short One Shot, Slight spooky vibes, Space Colony ARK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25735597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelNekomata/pseuds/PastelNekomata
Summary: At night, strange sounds keep Maria awake, and Shadow goes out to find the source, in hopes of keeping Maria safe... what will the hoglet find hidden in the space labyrinth? Even he doesn't know what lurks within space colony...
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	The Metal Maze

Sometimes at night, or what was considered “night” on the ARK was a very eerie time to be awake, or at least that’s what Maria said. 

“Sometimes it sounds like a ghost… crying…” The young girl whispered as she snuggled her black and red hoglet to her chest. “I know I shouldn’t be afraid… but at night it scares me a little.” Maria then added with a weak laugh, her fingers gently stroking Shadow’s quills, which always brought comfort to her. “Maybe…maybe it’s just my imagination…” 

As Shadow listened to Maria, his crimson eyes never looked away from the young girl’s angelic face, and his tiny red and black fingers went to brush and pet some of the golden blonde hair. Repeating the same gesture Maria often did to him. As Shadow’s little ears perked, he listened to the sounds of the ARK that he could hear, or at least try to hear over the gentle _thump-thump_ of Maria’s heartbeat. He could hear it far off in the distance, something whining…crying out, but what it was the tiny hedgehog did not know. Wriggling his nose, Shadow then turned his attention back up at Maria, only to notice she had fallen asleep as she cuddled him close. With each slow deep breath Maria took, Shadow found it hard to keep his own eyes open, it was so peaceful in the bed and under the warm covers… but he could not sleep now, not when there was a sound frightening Maria at night. 

With his mind made up, Shadow slowly slipped out of Maria’s tender embrace and out from under the covers. Once his petite hind paws touched the cold metal floor, a chill shot up Shadow’s spine, making his tiny quills and spine spikes shudder. Taking in a deep breath, the hoglet then padded up to the door to Maria’s room, and with a gentle whoosh, it opened. 

“I’ll be back Maria.” Shadow then whispered as he looked over his shoulder to the sleeping girl. He didn’t want Maria to be scared anymore, fearing whatever it was she was hearing…what he was hearing too. He was going to protect her no matter what! Steeling himself, Shadow took in another deep breath and walked out of the room.  


When the door whooshed shut behind him, the hoglet glanced back at the metal entrance to Maria’s room one last time, before he ventured down the dimly lit hall. When “nighttime” cycled through the Space Colony the lights throughout the station would dim, letting the denizens know it was time to start winding down for the day. Or as the Doctor, Gerald had stated; it was to help keep the inhabitants of the ARK in a somewhat normal routine and sleep schedule, and to not throw off their internal clock while in space. So, those who lived on the ARK experienced an artificial version of night and day. Which indeed mornings on the ark were brightly lit, and the lights gave off a soft warmth, especially if one stood under them for too long. Shadow had noticed this rather fast, as his black fur absorbed that warmth quickly; but at night-time… he didn’t feel that warmth, and the halls seemed colder at night too. Another shiver shook the tiny hoglet to his core, but still he continued down the hallway, following the eerie cry that no one else seemed to hear, or seemed to go searching for… so it was just him and that voice.  


Deeper and deeper he traveled through the ARK, almost to the point that Shadow wasn’t quite sure if he knew where he was exactly going in this floating maze. However, all that mattered to Shadow was that he knew he was getting closer, as the cries seemed louder… and yet, the voice still seemed so far away. As his tiny black ears perked and twitched, listening to all the hums and whirs that he heard from the machines and lights in the hall, Shadow then glanced back over his shoulder when he heard some distant voices talking. Stopping in his tracks, Shadow gasped as a nearby door opened up beside him, and just in the nick of time the small red and black hoglet pressed himself against the wall by the door….and watched as two white lab coated doctors emerged from another hall, where the cries from whomever or whatever suddenly grew shriller.  


“Get some rest, I’ll see you in the morning Dr. Patil…” Came a deep male voice as a pair of black suede shoes stepped out from the hall.  


“Thank you. Good night Dr. Ambrose.” Replied a woman’s voice as her black flats gently clacked against the metal floor of the ARK, heading in another direction.  


As Shadow silently observed the two doctors ever so curiously, he then turned his attention to the hall they had exited, and his eyes stared at the still open door where he could hear the cries, clear as day… Before he could think on the matter anymore, Shadow immediately dashed through the door as it slammed shut behind him with a loud hiss and click. There was no denying it now, Shadow the hoglet was closer than ever to the cries, the wailing piercing his ears to the point his little lobes lowered against the black fur across his skull. Nevertheless, the hedgehog trekked forward down the hall, looking left, right, and up at various closed doors. Taking a turn to his right, the hedgehog passed through an arched door frame and into another hallway, one that looked the same as all the others. Left…right…. Straight again, it felt like he was in a labyrinth of sorts with all the twists and turns. It was only when he rounded another corner in the long hallway, that Shadow felt the cries suddenly resonate deep inside of him. The strange sensation instantly threw off the rhythm of his own heartbeat, and made Shadow’s small stomach knot up to the point the hoglet felt nauseated. Gulping down the lump that formed in his throat, Shadow then slowly approached the door where the cries were emerging from…  


Staring up at the white metal door, the hoglet then looked back down the hallway again, almost expecting someone to run up to him, scolding him for being out in the ARK when it was clearly bedtime… alas, there was no one there to stop Shadow from moving forward. Not wanting to delay any longer in finding the source of Maria’s fears that haunted her at night, and to hopefully figure out what was currently hurting his teeny eardrums so much, Shadow glanced back up at the door and entered the room. If anyone had asked baby Shadow what he expected to see on the other side of the door, the little hoglet would have remained silent, for he had never been on this side of the ARK before. So, when he entered the room, the cries had suddenly gone silent, and Shadow felt a wave of unease blanket across him….  


As his crimson eyes scanned the area ever so slowly, Shadow noticed seven monitors in various sizes spread out around the place, some facing away from the middle of the room, while some faced inward. Each screen seemed to be displaying information, which was beyond incomprehensible to the wee hoglet as he gazed at the scrolling text inquisitively. So, Shadow then turned his attention away from the screens, and focused on the space he was currently standing in. The room was as white and just as dimly lit as the hallway, but there was an eerie green glow coming faintly from the middle of the area, and that instantly caught Shadow’s attention. Stepping further into the strange quarters, wanting to figure out the source of the green luminosity, Shadow the hoglet found himself staring up at a long glass tube. Instantly, Shadow noticed the glass cylinder was filled with a strange green liquid, that at times released tiny bubbles, and those blubs echoed in the hoglet’s ears. All of this, was strangely familiar… Curiously, the small hedgehog approached the tube, which he now noticed was so tall it almost reached the ceiling, and Shadow couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by size of the object standing before him.  


Drawing closer and closer to the strange green glowing tube, the hoglet couldn’t move his red gaze away from the bubbles that floated from the bottom of the tube to the very top. A symphony of noises gently filling Shadow’s ears as they twitched forward, back and to the side. Listening to the hums coming from the devices, gentle beeps pinging from the monitors, the heavy drumming of his own heart in his chest, the strange blubbing noise as the bubbles moved within the cylinder; and that’s when Shadow saw it…something floating within the liquid. Tilting his head, Shadow stared up at the dark mass within the fluorescent fluid, trying to figure out what it was he was looking at…  


Pressing his tiny furred digits on the small metal ledge that held the tube in place, Shadow slowly pulled himself up onto the niche, his knee supporting him first, and then came his feet. Once he had gathered his footing, the hoglet then gently worked himself to standing on the very tips of his toes, attempting to sneak a better peek at the form inside of the tank. Staggering a bit, Shadow the hoglet quickly braced himself on the tube and placed his hands upon the glass. As soon as he felt that cool glass against his fur something resonated within the tiny hedgehog again, and as his red eyes focused back on the form within the liquid, with his nose pressed up against the glass… the hedgehog froze when he saw the mass inside of the green liquidy substance open its eyes.  


Before a cry could escape Shadow’s throat, the wailing started back up again, followed with what sounded like a blood curdling scream, which immediately took the hoglet by surprise.  


“WAH!” Cried out Shadow as he stumbled back, his body instantly curling up into a sharp little ball as he fell to the ground and rolled away from the screams that pierced his eardrums and shook the hoglet to his core. As his red eyes shakily stared up at the green tube, more bubbles seemed to rise within the glass cylinder and the monitors beeped furiously. This was becoming too much for the tiny hedgehog, and that was when he decided it was time to leave.  


Once he had unfurled himself and rose back up to his feet, Shadow cried out again when the screams and wails from the creature grew louder, and the mass began to thrash within the liquid… cracking the glass that separated the two. Panic suddenly took over the hedgehog as his heart raced within his tiny form, and before Shadow could realize what he was doing, he found himself running to the door.  


“MARIA!” Shadow the hoglet cried out as his little feet slapped at the metal floor, trying to put as much distance between himself and whatever was now trying to escape the tube. “MARIA!!” Bolting down the hall and skidding around the corner Shadow ran as fast as he could, too terrified to look back…fearing whatever it was behind him was getting closer as he rounded the next bend, hurrying past the doorway and into another long hallway.  


It felt like he was going in circles from one white hallway to another that looked equally the same and just as long. Then suddenly, without any warning the hoglet collided face-first into the door, his body thrown back by the sudden impact against the metal hatch. Scrambling back to his feet, Shadow ran up to the door, but it didn’t whoosh open like the others…and when the hoglet touched the door again it didn’t budge. Tears instantly formed in the hedgehog’s eyes, and his hands began banging on the metal door with all his might as he cried out. “MARIA!! MARIA!!” With each slam of his tiny fists against the exit Shadow looked from the door in front of him, to the hall behind him…waiting for that dark form to come tearing around the corner, coming after him.  


“Shadow?!”  


Hearing Maria’s voice come from the other side of the door, the hoglet’s crimson eyes whipped back up at the steel gate separating the two. “MARIA! MARIA HELP ME!” As the hoglet slapped at the door again with his hands the tears began to stream down his face, wetting the fur on his tan cheeks. Never, had Shadow felt so terrified in his life…  


“GRANDFATHER DO SOMETHING PLEASE!” Came Maria’s voice, just as frantic and terrified as the baby hedgehog who pleaded just as loudly.  


There was a loud beep, and then instantly the door hissed open and Shadow fell forward… right into Maria’s arms.  


Pulling the black and red hoglet into her arms and tightly against her chest, Maria cradled Shadow close as tears poured past her lashes and onto the hedgehog’s head. “Shadow! Oh, thank goodness you’re alright Shadow!” Cried the young girl as she protectively clutched the hoglet to her. All the while, the young girl’s hands were stroking the hoglet’s quills, in hopes of not only calming herself down, but Shadow as well. “I was so worried about you!” Maria then whispered as she planted a kiss upon the hedgehog’s brow.  


As Shadow clung to Maria, burying himself against the fabric of her nightdress the hoglet listened to her racing heartbeat, before his eyes went to the Doctor who was staring down at the pair.  


“I still don’t understand how this happened…” Muttered the doctor from behind his mustache, his eyes turning to the door and hallway that Shadow had emerged from.  


“I told you Grandfather…I woke up and Shadow was gone…I…I didn’t know where he went….” Maria whimpered as she practically choked on the words, her breath shaky as she continued to hug Shadow to her, wanting to make sure he was safe.  


“That still doesn’t explain how he got into that hallway… that area is off limits and requires a keycard to gain access or leave…” The doctor replied with a sigh, and a shake of his head. “At least we know Shadow is alright from the looks of it…Now you two get to bed…”  


Opening her mouth to respond to her grandfather, Maria then stopped herself before the words came out. “Yes, grandfather…” Was all the young girl whispered as she slowly rose to her feet and walked away, heading back to her bedroom.  


As Shadow clung to Maria, the tiny hoglet peered around the young girl’s shoulder and blonde hair, watching Doctor Gerald as he studied the now closed door, and the small indents curving outward, warping the metal hatch… indents that looked like tiny hands…  


“I was so worried about you Shadow….”  


Turning his attention back to Maria, the baby hedgehog nuzzled against the girl’s golden blonde hair and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry Maria…” Whispered the hoglet. He had just wanted to keep her safe… and in the end, he had become scared…and ran away.  


“Why are you sorry Shadow?” Maria inquired just as softly as she entered her room, sliding back under the covers and resting her head upon her pillow. Her blue eyes never glancing away from Shadow’s gaze, as he looked up at her… as if he were ashamed.  


“I just wanted to keep you safe…”  


Blinking at the response, the young girl smiled and planted a second kiss upon Shadow’s brow, before cuddling the hoglet to her chest again. “Thank you, Shadow.” Maria responded with a tender smile; “But, I feel safer when you’re here with me…so please don’t wander off like that again…I was so worried.”  


Lowering his ears, Shadow then gave a sad nod, understanding Maria’s wish. “I won’t do that again Maria…” Whispered the hoglet as he nuzzled against the young girl’s chest, listening to her gentle heartbeat.  


Knowing that Shadow was now safe and sound with her again, Maria smiled softly at the hedgehog as she closed her eyes, embracing the hoglet as her body eased. “I don’t hear the crying…” Maria then whispered with a small sigh of relief. “Did you go searching for the ghost Shadow?” She then asked, her eyes tiredly opening to look back down at the black and red hedgehog.  


At first Shadow didn’t utter a response to Maria’s question, his gaze averted… but eventually the hoglet gave a quick nod of his head. This of course caused Maria to grin. “You’re so brave Shadow…” Whispered the child as she nuzzled her cheek against Shadow’s.  


Shadow then blinked, he was brave? Before Shadow could ask Maria why she thought that and even mention the fact he had run away from the source of the cries, the tiny hoglet noticed that the young girl had drifted off to sleep. As Shadow gazed up at Maria, the hoglet allowed his ears to twitch… listening to the sounds of the ARK. Indeed, the cries had stopped, and all Shadow could then hear was the gentle ambiance of the space colony, the deep breaths Maria took as she slept, along with the gentle _thump-thump_ of her heartbeat. Smiling now, Shadow felt a small bit of pride well up in his body. While his excursion to find the source of the crying had not ended the way he had intended, Shadow still had stopped the cries from bothering Maria at night, and that meant more than anything to Shadow. He had brought Maria a sense of ease tonight, and he indeed had been very brave to seek out the creator of the cries.  


With Maria’s encouraging words running on loop in his mind, paired with the tender embrace, Shadow couldn’t help but happily beam as he nuzzled against Maria’s warmth…. settling in for the night. He was so happy he could provide Maria that comfort, making sure that she felt safe, and knowing that he was brave and helped her feel secure… there was something about that, that filled the hoglet with a warmth… a wonderful feeling. As he then closed his own eyes, Shadow allowed sleep to slowly take him away to dreamland, where he fended off strange creatures that frightened Maria. He would be as brave as the knights the pair read about in the fairytales Maria enjoyed; and Shadow would do anything within his power to keep Maria safe from whatever scared her within the metal maze of the ARK.


End file.
